Family Portrait
by Rowen Hashiba Of Tenku Co
Summary: Prologue to my Ronin story "Immortality" we see the past, what led to the present...


Family Portrait  
Prologue to "Immortality"  
By Mithra Dawncloud  
  
A/N: I'm finally following this up... with a prologue! This is another song-fic. I think the rest of the series will most likely be done with lyrics from Pink's CD, "Missundaztood", so.. anyway, this takes place when Rowen is about five, Komaru is seven (in the beginning anyway). Their parents are divorcing. Ain't that sad? Song here is "Family Portrait" by Pink.  
NOTE: I know Komaru is very mature, but he's had to grow up fast to be there for his brother. Both of the kids are also very smart for their ages. ^_~ But you knew that, right?  
  
****PART ONE****  
  
Mama please stop crying  
I can't stand the sound  
Your pain is painful and it's  
Tearing me down  
I hear glasses breaking  
As I sit up in my bed  
I told God you didn't mean  
Those nasty things you said  
  
****  
  
He cringed as he heard the door slam. The younger boy next to him burst out in tears.  
"Don't worry, Rowen-chan." Komaru reassured his younger brother, hugging him.  
"Why did Mommy leave??" Rowen asked, intelligent midnight eyes blinking at his brother, filled with tears. Komaru shook his head with a sad smile.  
"Mommy and Daddy aren't going to live together anymore, Ro-chan." He replied, holding back his own tears- it wouldn't do to cry at this time when he needed to be there for his brother.  
"Why not??" Rowen questioned, his eyes desperate for answers. "Why won't they live together anymore?"  
"I don't know, Rowen-chan, I don't know.."  
  
****PART TWO****  
  
You fight about money  
About me and my brother  
And this I come home to  
This is my shelter.  
It ain't easy, growin' up in WW3  
Never knowin' what love could be  
You'll see, I don't want love to destroy me  
Like it has done my family.  
  
****  
  
"Komaru, come back!" Rowen shouted as his mother pulled his older brother away. "KOMARU!"  
"I'll be back, don't worry, Ro-chan!" Komaru replied, tears running down his face, "don't worry, I'll be back, I promise.."  
"Aniki, please, I need you..!" Rowen was hysterical, blinking rapidly to free his vision of the tears that were rapidly clouding it, sending them trailing down his cheeks.  
"You're strong, Rowen-chan, so act like it," Komaru told him softly, "be strong, and wait, and I'll see you again, I promise.."  
Then he was gone.  
Rowen collapsed in tears, hugging his knees to his chest, unresponsive to the rest of the world.  
"Komaru," he was saying, "Komaru, I'll be strong, and I'll wait.. and then you'll come back.. don't forget, you promised.."  
His sobs grew louder and he stood slowly.  
"You promised."  
  
****PART THREE****  
  
Can we work it out  
Can we be a family  
I promise I'll be better  
Mommy I'll do anything  
Can we work it out  
Can we be a family  
i promise I'll be better  
Daddy please don't leave  
  
****  
  
Two years later, a nine year old boy sat quietly on his bed, writing in a blue and green notebook. His dark eyes focused on his pen, his left hand holding the notebook steady before him.   
Yet the pen didn't move.  
His writing had long since stopped, in favor of thought.  
"Rowen," he whispered, "I promised.."  
Komaru's hoarse whisper betrayed him, and his voice shattered into sobs, his dark eyes filling suddenly with tears.  
"I promised... but I can't escape.." He whispered, "can't escape this.. this Hell.."  
  
Meanwhile his brother, now seven, lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, absently rubbing his elbow with one hand. It was bruised, and it still hurt.  
The abuse had started shortly after Komaru and Mother had left, and it hadn't stopped yet. Rowen felt quite sure that some day his father would kill him. It terrified him to think of it, but he knew it was true.  
His nightmares were all terrible images, flashing one by one into his mind, never giving him a completely restful sleep.  
"Oi, Komaru, please rescue me soon.."  
  
****PART FOUR****  
  
Daddy please stop yelling  
I can't stand the sound  
Make mama stop cryin'  
'Cause I need you around  
My mama she loves you  
No matter what she says is true  
I know that she hurts you  
But remember I love you too!  
I ran away today, ran from the noise  
Ran away (ran away)  
Don't wanna go back to that place  
But don't have no choice, no way.  
  
****  
  
Komaru was fourteen, and thouroughly fed up with the world, when Talpa approached him.  
Unlimited power, importance.. it was too good to pass up.  
"I'll do it," he said, and his loyalty was set in stone, when Talpa locked away his thoughts and feelings, and gave him the power of the Venom armor.  
It was an escape from the world that he hated. An escape from the life he had grown to loathe. Escape from anything, everything... escape from the world itself.  
He didn't know that Talpa's promises were false.. he didn't know that Talpa would as soon kill him as give him an ounce of power..  
How could he?  
  
****PART FIVE****  
  
In our family portrait  
We look pretty happy  
Let's play pretend, let's act like it  
Comes naturally  
I don't wanna have to split the holidays  
I don't want to addresses  
I don't want a stepbrother anyway  
And I don't want my mom to have to change her last name!  
  
****  
  
"Rowen."  
The voice kept saying his name.  
"Go away," He said, "go away.."  
"Rowen of the Strata." The voice told him.  
He sat up resolutely, and found himself facing a man with long white hair; he couldn't see the man's eyes, which were shadowed by the straw ha he wore. He looked like a monk of some kind.  
Rowen, now twelve, gaped at him. "Who are you?"  
"I am Kaosu, the Ancient One." The man said, "I am here to give you your destiny."  
Rowen didn't know what would happen to him.. he didn't know the friends he would make..  
How could he?  
  
****PART SIX****  
  
Mama I'll be nicer  
I'll be so much better  
I'll tell my brother  
I won't spill the milk at dinner  
I'll be so much better  
I'll do everything right  
I'll be your little girl forever  
I'll do to sleep at night..  
Daddy don't leave...  
Daddy don't leave...  
  
****  
  
A gasp. Sage turned to look at his friend.  
Rowen's midnight-blue eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, as though he were about to speak.  
"What's wrong, Rowen?" The blonde Ronin asked.  
"Komaru.." He whispered hoarsely, "Komaru.. why..?"  
  
Across the battle field, the Doku Ma Sho showed no emotion.  
He didn't recognize the Ronin as anything but the enemy. 


End file.
